2014 | Quinta do Noval | Vintage

Introduction

Dessert Wine: 2014 | Quinta do Noval | Vintage

Intensely powerful and concentrated, this port is perfectly adapted to age in bottle, and has the capacity to mature gracefully over decades.

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Producer: Quinta do Noval

Ratings: WA | 91 JS | 96

Vintage: 2014

Size: 750ml

ABV: 19.5%

Varietal: Port Blend Red

Country/Region: Portugal, Douro

Intensely powerful and concentrated, this port is perfectly adapted to age in bottle, and has the capacity to mature gracefully over decades.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2014 Vintage Port is a typical Douro field blend (bottled in September, 2016) with 101 grams per liter of residual sugar and 19.5% alcohol. This is filled with charm. I will say that it showed better in Porto as a barrel sample over the summer than it does now–it has closed up a bit after bottling. I’m going with my initial impression, because it should come back. Wonderfully aromatic and laced with herbs and spice, it is easy to see why it will be attractive. Its limitations are easy to see, too. It is probably a bit too compact for greatness, not really showing a lot of depth–even at age 15, the 2001 Nacional reviewed last issue surpassed it easily–and the structure is just average compared to some old-school examples from Noval. This still has many moments, though. If it is a bit light, it is fresh and lively, with just enough structure to carry on. It will certainly develop more complexity with age. At the moment, it is shockingly approachable, except for lacking truly expressive fruit. That should come in time–it was much tastier in Porto. About an hour in the glass, after use of an aerator, brought it around pretty well.

• James Suckling: This is a really fantastic young vintage Port showing terrific clarity and power. Full body and a tight center palate of blueberry and plum character. So long and persistent in the mouth. Goes on for minutes. Try in 2023 and beyond.

Producer Information

Quinta do Noval, established in 1715, is one of the only Port houses to be located in the heart of the Douro Valley of Portugal. It is perhaps best known for its Nacional Vintage Ports, the 1963 is considered by many critics to be the greatest Port ever made. Quinta do Noval is also one of the only houses that is named after its most famed vineyard, in this case the Quinta do Noval. The majority of the vineyards at the quinta are planted with the noble varieties of the Douro: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao. These grapes do well on the mix of schist and clay soil types found here. There was a large scale replanting of the vineyards in 1994, and each plot was planted with a variety that best suited that soil, altitude and exposition. Historically, the vineyards had been planted in blended plots; however this practice is dying out in the Douro, as the plantings become more specific to individual terroir. In the heart of the Quinta do Noval vineyard is a small plot of ungrafted vines that were lucky enough to avoid the devastation of phylloxera in the 19th Century. These grapes are used in the Nacional wines. Alongside the production of fine Ruby and Tawny ports, the house also produces an unfortified style of Douro wine, as well as the newest introduction, the Noval Black, a Port that is made to be drunk young and fresh, without age or decanting. Since 1993, the managing director has been Chris Seely who is also in charge of a host of vineyards within Europe, as part of the AXA Millesimes group. This investment group also owns estates such as Chteau Pichon-Longueville, Chteau Pibran as well as Disznko in Hungary.